The next four months, and what he does with it on the baseball field, figure to be a life-defining time in Caden Bogenpohl’s life.
Missouri State’s star junior center fielder is on multiple preseason All-America teams and projected by many as an early MLB draft choice this summer. It’s impossible for him to ignore what’s ahead.
“You definitely just want to make the most of working, cherish every practice, every day,” Bogenpohl said recently during the Bears’ media day at Hammons Field. “Obviously, you know, it’s a super, super fun time and period of my life.
“It’s going to be my last year here. I’m just trying to make the most of it and have the most fun I can with the group I have.”
Bogenpohl is off to a strong start at the plate, recording five hits (including a home run) and four RBI as the Bears took two of three in this past weekend’s season-opening series at Louisiana-Lafayette
‘I believe in this program and I believe in Hawk’
Missouri State baseball sophomore outfielder Caden Bogenpohl dives back into first base while drawing a throw in the first inning on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Hammons Field. The Bears beat the Valparaiso Beacons 25-7 in 7 innings to complete the sweep. (Photo by Mary Ellen Chiles)
Bogenpohl put a quick end to speculation that he would transfer following last season, giving the Bears a big lift headed into the offseason. In a Springfield Daily Citizen story last May, he admitted that he “heard some things from other schools, but at the end of the day, I believe in this program and I believe in Hawk (head coach Joey Hawkins) and everything that’s going on here. I feel like I can’t play anywhere else. I want to put on a Bears’ uniform for another year and ride it out in Conference USA.”
Bogenpohl is not only one of the most physically imposing players in program history, he’s also one of the most loyal. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder from Jackson, Missouri, has blossomed since signing with Missouri State out of his small southeast Missouri high school days.
After earning Freshman All-America honors in 2024, he backed it up with another big season a year ago. He hit a combined .294 with 33 home runs, 89 RBIs, 108 walks, a .497 on-base percentage and .599 slugging average in 110 career games his first two years.
In a world of big Name Image and Likeness cash, Bogenpohl could have chased immediate wealth. Instead, he remained with the Bears and Hawkins, believing that he can achieve big-league dreams from right here.
It doesn’t surprise teammates, who call him a team-first guy who, it just so happens, can hammer a baseball 450 feet at any given time.
“It’s just how he composes himself,” teammate Max Knight said of what impresses him the most about Bogenpohl. “Like, a lot of guys, you know, they’re pretty … baseball is a very emotional sport. There’s ups and downs, and some things are out of your control.
“His mental game is so strong, and I think that’s something he does exceptionally well — plus he’s a freak athlete. He’s got the height, got the weight. He hits balls 115 miles an hour, but throughout the season, you know, the ups and downs, he can remain in the neutral, which is huge in our sport.”
This season will be a mental test
Missouri State’s Caden Bogenpohl says he wouldn’t change a thing about his journey with the Bears. (Photo by Mary Ellen Chiles) Credit: MEC
Hawkins said it’s going to be a mental test for Bogenpohl with all that’s at stake personally while he leads the Bears into their first Conference USA season. The two have talked often about “details” that will make him an improved player and boost the draft stock — and team’s success — even more in 2026.
“If you think about it, a kid like that is gonna get ready — and he’s already gone through a lot,” Hawkins said. “We (had) our fifth and final week of preseason (Feb. 6-7). We’ll play 14 weekends of college baseball. He’ll probably do that, hopefully healthy, then postseason, and then a bunch of draft workouts — and then he’ll play minor league baseball potentially this year.
“It’s a long year. So just taking care of yourself, your body, anything from hydration, nutrition, little things in the weight room. Just being consistent with all of that and being ready. I think he is.”
Added Bogenpohl: “Those little things off the field … nutrition, sleep, all those little details … I’ve started to implement those and, you know, I’ve already seen a big help. So continuing those throughout the season is going to be huge.”
Bogenpohl admits there is a certain amount of pressure to live up to with the preseason awards and expectations. He said the next 14 weeks will be “the testing for my work and how far I’ve come and everything that I’ve poured into the game.
“It’s actually pretty cool. Pressure’s a privilege. You earn it, and that’s what you work for. All the preseason stuff is… It’s all talk. You gotta go do it throughout the season. So, no, it’s a privilege, and I’m excited to challenge it.”
Aiming for All-American honors and an NCAA regional
Bears sophomore outfielder Caden Bogenpohl (right) celebrates his 2-run home run in the fourth, which also scored junior outfielder Zack Stewart (left) on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at Hammons Field. (Photo by Mary Ellen Chiles)
Hawkins expects to have the big man atop the batting order again, getting him both the maximum trips to the plate and utilizing his batting eye. Pitchers have walked Bogenpohl 108 times in two seasons.
Bogenpohl said he wouldn’t have changed a thing if he could go back to high school and change his path to this point. He said Missouri State has shown that you can become rich and famous, citing former first-round draft choice Jake Burger, reigning National League Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin, former National League MVP and World Series winner Ryan Howard and former American League batting champ and World Series champ Bill Mueller.
The goal is for Bogenpohl to add his name to that list of All-American alums while helping the Bears to their 12th NCAA regional. Bogenpohl’s name is already on the Missouri State display of honor inside the Bill Rowe Indoor Training Facility at Hammons Field.
“It’s super cool to look up those guys and see your name up there,” Bogenpohl said. “Obviously, you know, there is a ton of tradition in this program and those guys have done that at the big league level, and it’s pretty cool to see your name up there.
“I wouldn’t change a thing. You know, coming here out of high school, trusting all these guys here, it’s been a great part and a great piece of my career so far. It always just goes back to the guys and the staff and the locker room. A great group of guys, and just help me get better every day and push that goal.”
Lyndal Scranton is a Springfield native who has covered sports in the Ozarks for more than 35 years, witnessing nearly every big sports moment in the region during the last 50 years. The Missouri Sports Hall of Famer, Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famer and live-fire cooking enthusiast also serves as PR Director for Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri and is co-host of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Contact him at Lscranton755@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @LyndalScranton. More by Lyndal Scranton